219. Speak Out and Do Not Be Afraid

Isaiah 40:9 NKJV O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Isaiah 40:9 GNB Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud voice, Zion; announce the good news! Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming!

Are you afraid to share the Gospel? It can be a little intimidating sometimes, but you can do it and the world desperately needs to know.

Isaiah was encouraging the people of Jerusalem to fearlessly remind their people still in captivity that the Messiah was coming and would set everything right. They were to boldly speak out and let everyone know that God was coming. There is a lot we could look at with Isaiah chapter 40 and parallel it with the message that John the Baptist was given to help prepare people to recognize Jesus as the Christ, but were just going to talk about sharing the message.

Just like they were given a message to fearlessly share, we have been given a MESSAGE too. They were told to share the message that the Messiah was coming; our Message is to let the world know that He has come and will be returning again soon. Not everyone appreciates hearing the message of Christ, but at least in the Unites States it is still legal to share. And how will they hear unless somebody tells them. I love the way the Message Bible reads for this verse.

Isaiah 40:9 MSG Climb a high mountain, Zion. You’re the preacher of good news. Raise your voice. Make it good and loud, Jerusalem. You’re the preacher of good news. Speak loud and clear. Don’t be timid! Tell the cities of Judah, “Look! Your God!”

You are a preacher of the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. Don’t fear what people may say or how they will react, there is no hope outside of life in Him. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). We have been given the awesome privilege and responsibility to tell the world that God has come, died for them, and desires them to live eternally with Him. There is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun. Speak out and do not be afraid. People need to know.